By PTI
ASANSOL: A special CBI court here on Saturday rejected Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal’s bail plea in the alleged cattle smuggling scam and extended his custody with the central agency for four days till August 24.
Describing Mondal as a “very powerful and highly influential person”, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed for an extension of the TMC leader’s custody stating that he could “influence witnesses and tamper evidence if granted bail”.
The CBI lawyer said that Mondal has been “non-cooperative from the very beginning” despite being issued summonses 10 times.
The counsel also claimed that Mondal had pressurised a doctor to prescribe “complete rest”.
Mondal was arrested on August 11 by the CBI in connection with its investigation into the alleged cattle smuggling scam.
The CBI on Saturday conducted a raid at one rice mill here allegedly owned by arrested Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal as a part of its ongoing probe into the alleged cattle smuggling scam, a senior officer said.
During the raid, the CBI sleuths found several high-end vehicles parked inside the premises of the mill, he said, adding that the ownership of the vehicles is “being looked into”.
Asked why the rice mill here in Birbhum district was raided, the officer said that the agency was trying to find out how the Trinamool Congress’ Birbhum district president got the money to purchase it.
ALSO READ | Scams fallout: Trinamool to focus on maintaining clean image, to go all out against BJP
“The rice mill was purchased by Mr Mondal in 2017. The rice mill has been mentioned as the address of several other offices belonging to him, his daughter and his late wife. We are trying to find out certain other things which may have links to the cattle scam,” the officer told PTI.
The CBI sleuths, who were made to wait outside the rice mill for over half an hour by the security guards, are planning to conduct raids in different places in the district in connection with their ongoing probe.
Mondal was arrested by the CBI on August 11 in connection with a cattle smuggling case.
The party on Friday condemned the CBI raids at Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s residence, and alleged that such moves are a part of the BJP’s designs to intimidate the opposition across the country.
The CBI on Friday carried out searches at the residences of Manish Sisodia and IAS officer Arava Gopi Krishna, and 19 other locations, after registering an FIR for alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy brought out in November last year.
Sisodia has maintained that conspiracies will not break him nor deter his resolve to continue to work for good education.
ALSO READ | TET row: HC recalls order asking Trinamool leader’s daughter, five others to appear before it
“The raids are an attempt to intimidate and threaten the opposition. Manish Sisodia is the deputy chief minister of Delhi, and the central agencies are trying to harass him on the orders of their political masters. The BJP is doing the same thing in all the opposition-ruled states,” senior TMC leader and MP Sougata Roy said.
TMC MP Santanu Sen claimed that the central probe agencies are “silent” when it comes to taking action against those BJP leaders who face allegations of corruption.
The ruling party in West Bengal has been rocked by the recent arrests of former minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with a school jobs scam, and Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal in an alleged cattle scam – by the ED and CBI, respectively.
ASANSOL: A special CBI court here on Saturday rejected Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal’s bail plea in the alleged cattle smuggling scam and extended his custody with the central agency for four days till August 24.
Describing Mondal as a “very powerful and highly influential person”, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed for an extension of the TMC leader’s custody stating that he could “influence witnesses and tamper evidence if granted bail”.
The CBI lawyer said that Mondal has been “non-cooperative from the very beginning” despite being issued summonses 10 times.
The counsel also claimed that Mondal had pressurised a doctor to prescribe “complete rest”.
Mondal was arrested on August 11 by the CBI in connection with its investigation into the alleged cattle smuggling scam.
The CBI on Saturday conducted a raid at one rice mill here allegedly owned by arrested Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal as a part of its ongoing probe into the alleged cattle smuggling scam, a senior officer said.
During the raid, the CBI sleuths found several high-end vehicles parked inside the premises of the mill, he said, adding that the ownership of the vehicles is “being looked into”.
Asked why the rice mill here in Birbhum district was raided, the officer said that the agency was trying to find out how the Trinamool Congress’ Birbhum district president got the money to purchase it.
ALSO READ | Scams fallout: Trinamool to focus on maintaining clean image, to go all out against BJP
“The rice mill was purchased by Mr Mondal in 2017. The rice mill has been mentioned as the address of several other offices belonging to him, his daughter and his late wife. We are trying to find out certain other things which may have links to the cattle scam,” the officer told PTI.
The CBI sleuths, who were made to wait outside the rice mill for over half an hour by the security guards, are planning to conduct raids in different places in the district in connection with their ongoing probe.
Mondal was arrested by the CBI on August 11 in connection with a cattle smuggling case.
The party on Friday condemned the CBI raids at Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s residence, and alleged that such moves are a part of the BJP’s designs to intimidate the opposition across the country.
The CBI on Friday carried out searches at the residences of Manish Sisodia and IAS officer Arava Gopi Krishna, and 19 other locations, after registering an FIR for alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy brought out in November last year.
Sisodia has maintained that conspiracies will not break him nor deter his resolve to continue to work for good education.
ALSO READ | TET row: HC recalls order asking Trinamool leader’s daughter, five others to appear before it
“The raids are an attempt to intimidate and threaten the opposition. Manish Sisodia is the deputy chief minister of Delhi, and the central agencies are trying to harass him on the orders of their political masters. The BJP is doing the same thing in all the opposition-ruled states,” senior TMC leader and MP Sougata Roy said.
TMC MP Santanu Sen claimed that the central probe agencies are “silent” when it comes to taking action against those BJP leaders who face allegations of corruption.
The ruling party in West Bengal has been rocked by the recent arrests of former minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with a school jobs scam, and Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal in an alleged cattle scam – by the ED and CBI, respectively.
